The Government’s waste-reduction programmes are proving effective in slowing the rise in municipal solid waste disposal, Secretary for the Environment KS Wong says, adding they may even turn the trend around.
In reply to a lawmaker’s question, Mr Wong noted that since the Government had implemented a policy framework for managing such waste in 2005, the daily per capita municipal solid waste disposal rate had fallen from 1.37kg to 1.33kg in 2013.
A blueprint for sustainable resources’ use published in May, 2013, aims to reduce the per capita municipal solid waste disposal rate by 40% by or before 2022, he added.
The blueprint lays out initiatives to reduce waste at source, launch waste-reduction campaigns, and allocate resources to enhance waste-related infrastructure.
He cited the Food Wise campaign, launched in 2012, that aims to encourage people not to take more food than they can consume, to curb the growing amount of food waste - which accounts for more than one-third of all municipal solid waste.
“The efforts we put on these fronts have made gradual achievements,” he said.
“The effectiveness of our work hinges on the actual support and participation of the public. In the coming years, it will be a crucial juncture for the implementation of the blueprint, including the volume-based waste charging scheme.”
